With Joao Cancelo’s departure at the end of last season, Barcelona once again find themselves without a specialist right-back. The Frenchman Jules Kounde has been playing in this position since the start of the season and has given very little reason for complaint with his performances so far.
Hector Fort has been his replacement whenever the need has arisen to give him some rest, but Barcelona have reportedly another player in mind to strengthen this position.
According to SPORT, this player is none other than the former Barcelona right-back Oscar Mingueza, who is having a very good start to this 2024-25 season with Celta Vigo.
The Blaugranes have 50% rights on the player, and with his €20 million release clause, they can get him back for only €10 million. The Catalans are considering this option for the next summer.
With his 2 goals and 4 assists in 8 games up to now, Mingueza remains a highly important player for Claudio Giraldez. Thus, his departure in January is not something that Celta Vigo would be contemplating.
However, things will change next summer when he will have only one year left on his contract and Celta will have to make a decision to ensure they do not lose him for free.
In addition to Barcelona, several other European clubs are also interested in the defender. The biggest obstacle for the Blaugranes in this deal could be AS Roma, who had shown interest in Mingueza during the last summer transfer window.
However, they did not make a formal offer, believing that Celta wouldn’t consider his departure for anything less than his release clause.
The player himself is quite happy at his current club, but it remains to be seen how things develop for him in the coming months and where he will be playing for the next season.